Oiler and lubricating device



March 29, 1949.

R. C- FRANKE OILER AND LUBRICATING DEVICE Filed June 15, 1945 IINVENTOR. fold/7d C mm;

ATV

Patented Mar. 29, 1949 UNITED S'i'hfi" @iFFlCE 1 Claim.

The present invention relates to oilers and other lubricating devicesand is more particularly concerned with lubricating devices for beetloaders and other similar machinery, such as earth handling apparatusand the like.

The principal object of this invention is the provision of a lubricatingdevice for the side arms and slides of a beet loader, but it is to beunderstood that this invention may be applied to other machinery. Morespecifically, it is an object of this invention to provide an oilerwhich is automatically controlled by the movements of the side arms,particularly the movements in which the slides are also shifted alongthe slide arms.

Another object of my invention is the provision of an oiling device inwhich changes in the position thereof is made use of for controllingand/or delivering lubricant to the point of utilization. Particularly,it is an object of this invention to provide a container for lubricant,preferably liquid lubricant, in which an outlet tube is so located thatlubricant ilows out of the container only in response to changes ofposition of the container.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparentto those skilled in the art after a consideration of the accompanyingdrawings and following specifications, wherein is disclosed a singleexemplary embodiment of the invention, with the understanding, however,that such changes may be made therein as fall within the scope of theappended claim, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In said drawings:

Figure l is a partial side View of a side arm of a beet loader equippedwith an oiler constructed according to the principles of the presentinvention, the arm being shown in a substantially horizontal position,in which no oil flows to the surfaces to be lubricated.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing the side arm in avertical position in which oil is fed to the surfaces to be lubricated.

Referring now to the drawings, the side arm of a beet loader, such asthe one shown in my prior U. S. Patent No. 2,330,041, issued September21, 1943, is indicated by the reference number I and at its outer end isconnected with a loading scoop or hopper (not shown). During normalloading operations the side arms are regularly swung from asubstantially horizontal position up to a substantially verticalposition, and during this action a slide S is shifted along each sidearm and acts through intervening connections for controlling theposition of the scoop or hopper, both during the transporting positionas well as the loading and dumping positions. It will therefore be seenthat an automatically op erating oiler for the slides will materiallycontribute to the operation and maintenance of a machine of this kind.

According to the present invention, I mount on the slide cover 2 alubricant container 3 consisting essentially of a closed vessel adaptedto contain liquid lubricant L. The container 3 preferably is mounted ona plate l which is detachably secured in any suitable manner to theslide cover 2. A filler cap ii, preferably of the screw type, isprovided in the uppermost part of the container. A tube 1 is disposed inthe container 3 adjacent one wall and has its upper end terminatingclosely adjacent the top or upper wall of the container 3. Its lower endpasses through a hole in the lower wall or plate 6, the tube preferablybeing welded or otherwise fixed in position at this point, and through ahole or slot 8 in the slide cover 2. The inner end of the tube,indicated at Q, terminates adjacent the outer surface of one of theflanges of the slide arm l, along which surface the slide moves duringcertain parts of its movement.

The operation of the device is substantially as follows:

When the side arm l is in a horizontal position (Figure 1) the upper endof the tube 1 projects above the level of oil in the receptacle 3, butwhen the side arm is swung up into a vertical position the tube '1 isbelow the oil level and it fills with oil. If the opening in the tube isof appreciable size, some oil may run directly out of the container 3via the tube 2, as indicated in Figure 2, but if only limited quantitiesof lubricant is necessary, the hole in the tube may be small, in whichcase, while the tube i will fill with oil when in the position shown inFigure 2, the oil will not appreciably drip from the tube onto thesurfaces to be lubricated until the side arm i has been swung down intoa horizontal position (Figure 1).

Although I have described a specific embodiment of my invention, andhave described it in particular reference to the side arms of a loadingmachine, it is quite apparent that a machine or machines of entirelydifierent kind may be provided with lubricant devices of the kinddescribed. It will also be understood that modifications of the hereindescribed lubricating device may be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the appendedclaim.

I claim as my invention:

In a device of the character described having an arm swingable from thegenerally horizontal to a generally vertical position and a slidemounted for sliding movement thereon; means for lubricating the slideincluding a lubricant reservoir having a top wall, side walls and a baseplate, a filler cap in an uppermost portion of the reservoir, means forsupporting the base plate and the reservoir at a spaced distance fromthe arm and the slide, and a feeder tube extending from a point near thearm and slide but spaced therefrom, through an opening in the base plateand to a point near the top wall, the said tube being positioned so asto occupy the lower portion of the reservoir and near a side Wall whenthe arm is swung to a generally vertical position.

ROLAND C. FRANKE.

4 REFERENCES crrEn The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 239,461 Davis Mar. 29, 18812,330,041 Franke Sept. 21, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 63Great Britain Jan. 1, 1894 12,022 Germany No date shown

